U in Cursive

Notes on writing U in cursive

U is the 21st letter of the English alphabet and one of the five primary vowels. It shows up in everyday English roughly as often as most mid-frequency letters, balancing recognisability with visual character.

U is a round-bodied letter, so most cursive scripts start it with a continuous oval and end with a small exit stroke.

For comparing cursive families, use U at the start of a short word or as a single capital. The differences between Cursive Classic, Brush Signature, and Fancy Script are easiest to spot on a single capital letter. Because U is a vowel, it appears mid-word constantly — the small-letter form is just as important to compare as the capital.

How to write U in cursive — step by step

The steps below describe the structural moves most cursive scripts share for the letter U. Different font families add their own flourishes, but the underlying shape is the same.

Lowercase u

1. Start a touch above the baseline with a small entry stroke.
2. Draw a small oval anti-clockwise for the body of u.
3. Exit with a short upward stroke towards the next letter.

Uppercase U

1. Begin near the top guideline.
2. Sweep a large oval anti-clockwise to form the body of U.
3. Finish with a closing flourish or a connecting stroke if a word follows.

Want a broader walkthrough including how to connect letters into words? See the complete guide to writing in cursive.